ACCESSING THE NATIONAL HEALTH BILL

Do you know it is possible to make a demand for improved access to quality Maternal Health care by assessing the National Health Act?

Well, this is a reality that has just been made known by Development Communications while emphasizing the need for civil society groups, the media and other major stakeholders to do so collectively.

According to its Programme Manager - Ayodele Adesanmi, Nigeria records five hundred and seventy-six maternal mortality ratio in one hundred thousand live births; being second to India.

Some challenges that result to this high ratio, as explained by Adesanmi, includes overuse of staff, long awaiting time in the clinics, attitude of workers to work, unavailability of drugs, unstable power supply among others.

Reeling out the figure, he attributed the development to government's lack of accountability and commitment, due to failure to implement African Union's suggested fifteen percent budgetary allocation to health. 

The programme manager said Nigeria budget on health is still below six percent which is nothing to write home about if the government are really ready to achieve a functional and reliable health care for its citiens. 

In a related expression, a call has been made for public enlightenment for women to embrace family planning to reduce maternal mortality in the country by seventy-two percent.

The appeal was made by Lagos State Civil Society Partnership's President, Ayo Adebusoye.

Adebusoye, who is also a Barrister and an Advocate, explained that if the blue print of family planning is followed, Nigeria will save more than twenty three thousand deaths in 3 years which will automatically reflect in our economy; saving Nigeria eleven billion naira in Health sectors.